There is always a search for a new way, new ideas to reconcile Platonic playing ideals with the pragmatism of an everyday budget. The compromise leads to a larger discussion of what football actually means. Read more »
IQ - Soccer Analysis
Poets, Heavy Metal & Suffering: The Journey To Find A Different Way
Kylian Mbappe Enters His Redemption Arc
Going through a penalty miss trauma in front of the world is part of a soccer hero's journey. We always knew Kylian Mbappe was world class, but now he has a familiar narrative that invites us along with him. Read more »
Portrait Of A Manager Over 15 Years: Joachim Low's Final Tournament
Joachim Low's character arc, from World Cup winner to wanderer, is portrayed as a tragedy. There are even questions as to whether 2014 was a byproduct of a country-wide development program as widely venerated throughout the football world, or just a lucky Golden Age of players. Read more »
Luis Campos, Christophe Galtier, And Lille Paint Another Masterpiece
The constraints of the modern game make it almost impossible for midtable sides to build long-lasting dynasties. But Lille present a blueprint for what can happen when smart player recruitment and a manager ready to take the next step peak together for one season. Read more »
With Or Without Lionel Messi, Barcelona Embark On A New Era
All beginnings need to start somewhere. A new era of Barcelona was overdue whether it was structured by Laporta, forced by debt, and with or without Messi. Read more »
Inter & Antonio Conte's Modern, Rehearsed Football Unlock Serie A
There are openings for challengers to become the incumbent, however scarce. All you need is Antonio Conte to transform a vulnerable moment into its own dominant era. Read more »
Graham Potter, The Limitations Of Expected Goals, The Brighton Paradox
Brighton's gap between xG and goals isn't an outcome of luck, but rather of design. And with such a difference between underlying analytics and table place, who is Graham Potter performing for exactly? Read more »
Spain & Luis Enrique Turn To New Pipelines During La Liga's Struggles
In examining the relationship between a domestic league and its national team, you could even argue an inverse strength with exported players able to bring back different experiences to international play. Read more »
Pele Transcended And Foreshadowed The Modern Soccer World
Pele appeared at the right time in technology and history, winning the right trophies with the right skills for the right country. His trophies cemented the ability to tell his own story through his lens. Read more »
Burnley Finding Value And Stability As The Underdog
Does messaging equal trophies at the end of a season? That answer is an obvious no. But does a compelling story create an opportunity for current and future supporters to invest in, thereby raising a club's value? That seems attainable, and more at one's control. Read more »
Halfway To 100 Points: Luis Suarez Pushes Diego Simeone Forward
We all got what we wanted. Analysts were proven right that Diego Simeone needed to update his style, while Simeone could argue that he's never been able to work with a striker like Luis Suarez. With Atleti topping the table, we'll agree to split the difference. Read more »
Where Does Thomas Tuchel Go From Here?
Thomas Tuchel admittedly knows what he wants now in the future: to go back to just managing on the field, to reconnect with the traits that made him such a compelling managerial figure in the first place. His time at PSG was a blip of fantasy, now it's time to go back to simplicity. Read more »
A 2020 Year In Review: How Pressing, And a Pandemic,Will Shape 2021
The emphasis on eschewing safety for pressing is why Hansi Flick's Bayern were the team that both dominated and defined 2020. Read more »
Roberto De Zerbi Builds The Answer To Pressing
Playing with a signature, possession-based style, against any opponent, is the victory for Roberto De Zerbi in itself. How that translates onto the table is for the rest of us. Read more »
Diego Maradona, Who Gave Us Meaning
There was always a distance, an invisible glass, that could never be breached with Maradona. We were below, and he stood above as we never intersected on the same plane. Read more »
Building The USMNT In A Global Footballing World
Through a combination of happenstance and planning, the USMNT looked outward, and the results are beginning to match the expectations we'd built up this entire time. Read more »
The Meaning Of Zlatan Ibrahimovic In 2020
Even during a pandemic, even on his last legs, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is playing how he's always played, embodying the character he's always been, making us feel close but keeping a distance, as he's always done. Read more »
The Value Of Building American Soccer Pipeline Into Europe
Our discussions over the existential future of American soccer revolved around player development, though less exciting, non-viral topics like infrastructure and pathways were equally as essential for sustainability. Read more »
12 Seconds Or Less: Julian Nagelsmann Adds Wrinkles To RB Leipzig
The 32-year-old's first season with Leipzig was what we envisioned from a precocious, innovative manager when backed by a precocious, innovative footballing empire. Read more »
Serie A In The Time Of Coronavirus
The silence and emptiness could reset, or remind us of the relationship between players, teams, and its supporters. The players provide the goals and the three points; the supporters add the context and meaning that turns players into stories that live on for years. Read more »